Reversible window assembly for a permanently closed window opening

ABSTRACT

A reversible window assembly embodying a rectangular, sealed, dual-pane window unit which is mounted on axially aligned, horizontal trunnions for rotation about a vertical axis and within the associated window opening. Removable molding strips on the inside of the window replace the conventional permanent window stops and allow freedom of swinging movement of the window unit and its glass panes after a movable element of one of the side jamb assemblies is shifted to an out-of-the-way position so as to release the window unit entirely. A split, trunnionreceiving bearing facilitates complete window unit removal for glass replacement or repair purposes.

United States Patent 1 Sawle Nov. 13, 1973 1 REVERSIBLE WINDOW ASSEMBLY FOR A PERMANENTLY CLOSED WINDOW OPENING [76] Inventor: William S. Sawie, 425 Grove St.,

Evanston, 111. 60202 [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 229,054

[52] US. Cl. 49/390, 49/174 [51] Int. Cl E06b 3/34 [58] FieldofSearch ..49/172174,194,388-390,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,902,729 9/1959 Gillespie ..49/390 2,123,632 7/1938 taga'fian'fi i i/Tit 2,000,564 5/1935 l-lowenstein 49/419 1,826,121 10/1931 Brogie 49/390 X 1,832,107 11/1931 Erroll 49/174 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS France 49/390 Primary Examiner-Kenneth Downey Att0rney-Norman H. Gerlach [57] ABSTRACT A reversible window assembly embodying a rectangular, sealed, dual-pane window unit which is mounted onasiair aligned;naaiaainnuansns for rotation about a vertical axis and within the associated window opening. Removable molding strips on the inside of the window replace the conventional permanent window stops and allow freedom of swinging movement of the window unit and its glass panes after a movable element of one of the side jamb assemblies is shifted to an out-of-the-way position so as to release the window unit entirely. A split, trunnion-receiving bearing facilitates complete window unit removal for glass replacement or repair purposes.

5 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures REVERSIBLE WINDOW ASSEMBLY FOR A PERMANENTLY CLOSED WINDOW OPENING The improved reversible window assembly comprising the present invention is designed for use primarily in connection with an air-conditioned apartment or office building, as well as a department store, of the type in which the exterior windows are intended to be permanently sealed in their respective window openings so that the windows remain at all times in their closed" condition. The invention is particularly concerned with a window assembly of the type wherein the window proper is in the form of a commercially available dualpane unit consisting of inner and outer rectangular glass panes which are slightly spaced apart in order to provide a dead air space therebetween, the two panes being maintained in their spaced apart relationship by an intervening peripheral or marginal separator and with the parts being held or clamped together by a marginal, channel-like binding or sash which usually is formed of aluminum or some other lightweight material.

It is obvious that with a permanently closed window of this general type the cleaning thereof presents a serious problem costwise since it is necessary that the outer side of the window unit thereof, i.e., the outer side of the outer glass pane, be cleaned from outside of the building. The opposed inside or innermost faces of the two glass panes require no cleaning since they constitute the side walls of a sealed dead air space, while the cleaning of the inside face of the inner glass pane is usually attended to by the tenant or a window washer.

In connection with a moderately tall building, i.e., a building of five or six stories, the outer glass panes of the units of windows of the aforementioned type may be cleaned by workmen on a ladder, but where a taller building is concerned it is necessary that an adjustable, suspension-type scaffold be employed. For this reason, especially where a large apartment building is involved, window cleaning operations are carried out on a time schedule, one or more window cleaners operating on a weekly or bi-monthly schedule inasmuch as selective individual window cleaning operations by tenant demand is not practical.

Where large cities are concerned, downtown buildings, as well as many neighborhood buildings, are so constructed and situated that there is a tendency for the windows on certain sides of the buildings to require cleaning more frequently than the windows on other sides. Similarly, lower floor windows ordinarily require cleaning more frequently than the windows on other sides. Similarly, lower floor windows ordinarily require more frequent cleaning than the higher windows. Alcove or otherwise protected windows may also require less frequent cleaning than windows which are more exposed. Time schedules, therefore, must be predicated upon the requirements of the individual buildings but seldom is a given time schedule satisfactory to all of the tenants concerned.

The present invention is designed to overcome the abovenoted limitations that are present in connection with permanently closed and sealed window assemblies of the particular type under consideration and, toward this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel window assembly in which the dual-pane window unit is reversible in that it may be swung about the vertical axis of its midplane through an angle of approximately 180 so as to cause the outer side thereof to face inwardly for washing and other cleaning operations. According to the present invention, the window unit, in its normally closed condition, is effectively sealed within the window opening and fixedly held in its sealed condition. However, means are provided whereby, by the simple procedure of withdrawing a series of four molding strips, all obstacles to inward swinging movement of the window unit are removed while at the same time a certain shim piece is rendered accessible for withdrawl purposes. Upon withdrawal of such shim piece, all obstacles to outward swinging movement of the window unit are removed and the latter may then be rotated and brought to its reversed position so that the outer side thereof is rendered accessible for cleaning from the inside of the room with which the window assembly as a whole is associated.

The provision of a reversible window assembly such as has briefly been outlined above, and possessing the stated advantages, constitutes the principal object of the invention.

Another and important advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that, structurally, the present window assembly does not deviate appreciably in its carpentry work from that which is involved in the construction of a present-day standard permanently sealed dual-pane window unit installation in a modern airconditioned building. According to the present invention, the usual lintel, jamb and sill assemblies remain substantially intact, the only modification thereof residing, first, in the provision of means whereby the side frame of one of the two jamb assemblies may he slid to an out-of-the-way position in order to allow for outward swinging of the window unit and, secondly, the establishment of a peripheral groove which extends around the window opening for reception therein of a series of molding pieces which normally hold the window unit against inward swinging movement but which may be removed in order to allow for such movement. For this reason, the present window assembly is particularly well adapted for use in converting a standard window assembly over from a permanently sealed or closedf assembly to one in which the window unit may be reversed as previously outlined for within-thebuilding cleaning operations, although, of course, the construction of the assembly as a whole readily lends itself to original installation in a new building.

A further advantage of the invention resides in the fact that window unit reversal operations may be accomplished without requiring the use of any tools whatsoever and, moreover, they may be performed by the average mechanically unskilled person such, for example, as a housewife.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the various novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is an inside elevational view of the improved reversible window assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an outside elevational view of the window assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the window assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing window proper or unit in a partially reversed condition;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1 and showing the pivoted window unit as being partially reversed;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary and further enlarged view of a portion of the structure which is shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line l0l0 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 1l-11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view looking upwardly and to the left of FIG. 1 and showing the juncture region between the lintel and the left-hand jarnb;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary and further enlarged view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 7;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view looking upwardly and to the right of FIG. 1 and showing the juncture region between the lintel and the right-hand jamb;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view looking downwardly and to the left of FIG. 1 and showing the juncture region between the left-hand jamb and the sill; and

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view looking downwardly and to the right of FIG. 1 and showing the juncture region between the right-hand jamb and the sill.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, the reversible window assembly of the present invention embodies a window sash or unit 10 which fits within a rectangular window opening 12 (see FIG. 3) provided in a wall 14 of a building. Such window unit 10 is reversible in said opening 12 by'means of trunnion-type supports, as will be described presently, and such trunnion-type supports are so designed and arranged as to enable the window unit 10 to be rotated throughout an angle of slightly less than 180 between the normally closed position in which it is shown fragmentarily in broken lines in FIGS. 6 and 11.

The window unit 10 per se is of conventional construction, and-no claim is made herein to any structural or other novelty therein. It is comprised of two rectangular glass panes 16 and 18 (see FIGS. 8 and 13), and they are maintained in slightly spaced relationship by a marginal separator 20 with the parts being held together in their assembled relationship by a peripheral aluminum or other metal channel-shaped binding or sash 22, the latter being provided interiorly with a U- shaped elastomeric or other lining strip 24. The various parts of the window unit 10 are sealed together by a suitable adhesive so that a hermetically sealed dead air space 26 is established between the glass panes 16 and 18 for heat-insulating purposes as is well known in the art.

Window units such as the unit set forth above are made by several manufacturers and are sold under various trade names, the particular dual-pane window unit which is shown and described herein being manufactured and sold by one United States manufacturer under the trade name Twindow" and by another manufacturer under the trade name Thermopane.

The metal channel-shaped binding or sash 22 of the window unit 10 consists of vertical left and right-hand side channels 30 and 32 (see FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive), a top channel 34 and a bottom channel 36 and, in order to provide the aforementioned trunnion-type supports for the window unit 10, similar upper and lower trunnion brackets 40 and 42 (see FIG. 3) are applied to the medial regions of the top and bottom channels 34 and 36, respectively. Each trunnion bracket embodies a short section which is formed of U-shaped metal stock, embraces the adjacent channel of the channel binding or sash 22, and is suitably fixedly secured thereto. The upper trunnion bracket 40 is provided with a fixed upwardly extending trunnion 44 (see FIG. 5) in the form of a stud. The lower trunnion bracket is similarly provided with a trunnion 46 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) which extends downwardly. The two trunnions 44 and 46 constitute the two aforementioned trunnion-type supports for pivotally supporting the window unit 10, and they are designed for reception in respective trunnion bearings as will be described subsequently.

Considering now the window environment for the window proper or unit 10, the window opening 12 (see FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive) is bounded by a lintel assembly 50 at the top of the opening, a sill assembly 52 at the bottom of the opening, a left jamb assembly 54 as viewed from the inside when looking out of the window 'opening, and a right jamb assembly 56 as similarly ously appear in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9'of the drawings. This head jamb 62 and the casing 60, considered collectively, directly underlie those portions of the brickwork 70, the studding 72, and the lath and plaster work 74 of the building wall 14 which define the upper boundary of the window opening 12.

The sill assembly 52 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) at the bottom of the window opening 12 is comprised of a sill proper which, in effect, constitutes a bottom jamb and, in addition, a stool 82, and an apron 84. The bottom jamb or sill 80 and the stool 82, considered collectively, overlie those portions of the brickwork 70, the studding 72, and the lath and plaster work 74 of the building wall 14 which define the lower boundary of the window opening 12.

The left-hand jamb assembly 54 is comprised of fixed components including an inside casing (see FIGS. 3 and 6), a side jamb 92, a backing piece 94, a parting strip 96, and an outside casing 98. These five parts extend vertically and are coextensive with the left side of the window construction opening 66. Preferably, they are all formed of wooden boards. The side jamb 92 and the outside casing 98, considered collectively, are contiguous to those portions of the brickwork 70, the studding 72 and lath and plaster work 74 of the building wall 14 which define the left boundary of the window opening 12.

The right-hand jamb assembly 56 is disclosed in detail in FIGS. 7, 14 and 16 of the drawings. It is similar to the left-hand jamb assembly 54 and, in order to avoid needless repetition of description, similar reference numerals with a prime suffix have been applied to the corresponding parts as between the disclosure of FIG. 6 and the disclosure of FIG. 7. It is to be noted, however, that in the right-hand jamb assembly 56, the fixed parting strip 96 of the left-hand assembly is omitted and, as will be described presently, is replaced by a sliding parting strip.

Where a conventional fixed Therrnopane or similar window unit is concerned, the unit with any suitable internal lining of elastomeric material is first caused to abut against the backing pieces 64, 94 and 94' and then a rectangular series of four window stops are nailed in position against and on the inside of the marginal portions of the window unit in order to hold the unit permanently and sealingly in place to the end that the only access to the exterior of the unit is from the outside of the building. According to the present invention, the window unit 10 is rotatably mounted in the window opening 12 as best shown in FIG. 3 for rotation about a vertical axis by means of the aforementioned trunnions 44 and 46, the extent of rotation or turning being throughout an angle of slightly less than 180 in a manner that will now be set forth in detail.

Accordingly, and as best seen in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the upper trunnion 44 projects upwardly into a split trunnion bearing 104 which is secured by screws 106 to the underneath side of the head jamb 62 of the lintel assembly 50 precisely midway between the left and right jamb assemblies 54 and 56. Similarly and as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lower trunnion 46 projects downwardly into a split trunnion bearing 110 which is secured by screws 112 to sill-type bottom jamb 80 of the sill assembly 52 midway between the two jamb assemblies 54 and 56. The bearing 110 is provided with a removable section 114 (see FIG. 11) which is secured in position by screws 115. The removable section ll4 allows for easy installation of the lower trunnion 46 in position after the upper trunnion 44 has been installed in its bearing 104, while the removable section thereof is removed from the fixed section.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 16, inclusive, a rectangular sealing frame extends around the window opening 12 and comprises wooden top and bottom frame members 116 and 118 which are secured, respectively, to the head jamb 62 of the lintel assembly 50 and the bottom jamb 80 of the sill assembly 52 (see FIGS. 12 and 15), a wooden side frame member 120 which is secured to the side jamb 92 of the left-hand jamb assembly 54, and a movable and floating wooden side frame member 122 (see FIGS. 7, l3 and 16) which is movable toward and away from the side jamb 92 of the right-hand jamb assembly 56. These four frame members carry sealing strips 124 which are formed of a suitable elastomeric material, are coextensive with such frame members in a lengthwise direction, and fit snugly in longitudinal grooves in the outer surfaces of said frame members, 116, 118, 120 and 122. Said sealing strips 124 are designed for sealing engagement with the four side channels 30, 32, 34 and 36 of the window unit 10 when the latter is in its normal or closed" position within the window opening 12. In order to maintain the floating frame member 122 in tight sealing engagement with the side channel 32 of the sash 22, a removable wooden shim piece 126 is disposed within the space which exists between the side frame member 122 and the adjacent side jamb 92' of the right-hand jamb assembly 56.

According to the present invention, instead of employing the usual series of window stops which are nailed in position directly opposite the side channels 30, 32, 34 and 36 of the sash 22, special wooden window stops are employed. The latter consist of a top window stop 130 (see FIGS. 4, l2 and 14) which is nailed or otherwise fixedly secured to the head jamb 62 of the lintel assembly 50, a left jamb window stop 132 (see FIGS. 6 and 12) which is nailed or otherwise fixedly secured to the side jamb 92 of the left-hand jamb assembly 54, and a right jamb window stop 134 (see FIGS. 7 and 14) which is nailed or otherwise fixedly secured to the side jamb 92' of the right-hand jamb assembly 56. These three window stops are spaced slightly inwardly from the plane of the windowunit 10 when the latter is in its normal closed position within the opening 12 and, in combination with the outer side edge of the stool 82 (see FIG. 10) of the sill assembly 52 and with the window sash channels 30, 32, 34 and 36, they define a peripheral void or groove 136 which encompasses the upper, side, and lower boundaries of the window opening 12. This groove appears in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10, and also FIGS. 12 to 16, inclusive, of the drawings.

The aforementioned peripheral groove 136 is adapted for removable reception therein of a series of four pieces of molding. Such pieces consist of an upper molding piece 140 (see FIG. 4), a lower molding piece 142 (see FIG. 9), a left jamb molding piece 144 (see FIG. 6), and a right jamb molding piece 146 (see FIG. 7). These four molding pieces are preferably formed of wood and supplant the usual fixed window stops which clamp a conventional Thermopane" window in its permanently fixed and sealed position, but in the present instance, all four of the molding pieces are removable so as to allow the window unit 10 to swing about the vertical axis of the trunnions 44 and 46.

In theoperation of the herein described reversible window assembly, and assuming that the window proper or unit 10 is in its tight-fitting closed condition within the window opening 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and with the window sash 22 in coextensive sealing relation with respect to the four quadrilaterallyarranged surrounding elastomeric sealing strips 124, loosening of the window unit 10 so that it may be reversed or turned through an angle of approximately is accomplished by initially lifting the lower mold- .ing piece 142 upwardly and removing the same from the bottom portion of the groove 136 (see FIG. 9) which exists behind the stool 82. Thereafter, the side molding pieces 144 and 146 are pulled sidewise and inwardly of the window opening 12 and thus removed from the side portions of the groove 136 (see FIGS. 6 and 7 This leaves the upper molding piece 140 free to drop or be pulled from the upper portion of the groove 136 (see FIG. 4).

With all four molding pieces 140, 142, 144 and 146 withdrawn from the groove 136, there remains no inside obstruction which would prevent inward displacement of the left-hand half of the window unit 10 as shown in FIG. 3, but the right-hand side of the window unit is held against outward swinging by reason of the movable and floating side frame member 122 which is provided with a flange 150 that overhangs and abuts against the side channel 32 of the sash 22 of the window unit 10 as shown in FIG. 13, this flange 150 functioning in the manner of a shiftable parting strip. In order to withdraw the floating sideframe member 122 from its obstructing position and thus allow the window unit 10 to be rotated for purposes of window reversal, the shim piece 126 is withdrawn as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 13, such withdrawal being now possible by reason of the prior removal of the right jamb molding piece 146. With the shim piece 126 thus withdrawn, the floating side frame member 122 may then be shifted toward the side jamb 92' so that it assumes the dotted-line position in which it is illustrated in FIG. 13, thus withdrawing the flange 150 from its obstructing position and leaving the window unit 10 free to be manually reversed to the position in which it is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Complete reversal of the window unit 10 is not possible because of the presence of the parting strip 96 of the left-hand jamb assembly 54. Such parting strip engages the side channel 30 (see FIG. 6) and prevents the window 10 from moving to a completely reversed home position within the window opening 12. In its nearly reversed position of the window unit 10, the normally outwardly presented window pane I8 is presented inwardly where it is readily accessible for washing or other cleaning operations.

Restoration of the window unit 10 to its normal closed condition is accomplished by a reversal of the procedure set forth above. After the unit has been restored to its normal home position within the window opening, the movable and floating side frame member 122 is slid to the full-line position of FIG. 13 in order thus to capture the right-hand edge of the window and the shim piece 126 is inserted behind such frame member to hold it in its operative advanced position. Thereafter, all that is necessary to restore the window assembly as a whole to its normal condition is to replace the various molding pieces 140, 144, 146 and 142 successively and in the order named by inserting them into the rectangular or quadrilateral groove 136 which extends around the window opening 12.

In the event that it becomes necessary at any time completely to remove the window unit 10 from the window opening 12 for glass replacement or other repair, it is not necessary to remove the entire lower trunnion bearing 110. Instead, the two screws 115 (see FIG. 11) may be removed so as to permit withdrawal of the removable section 114 of the bearing, after which the window may be pulled outwardly so as to withdraw the lower trunnion 46 from the fixedly mounted remaining part of the split trunnion bearing 110. Upon slight lowering of the window unit after it has cleared the stool 82 of the sill assembly 52, the upper trunnion 44 will be withdrawn from the upper trunnion bearing 104 (see FIG. thus freeing the window unit entirely. Window unit replacement is, of course, effected by a reversal of the procedure outlined above.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, whereas in the illustrated form of the invention, the right-hand jamb assembly 56 is provided with a floating frame member 122 (see FIG. 13) which normally obstructs swinging movement of the window unit 10 but which may be withdrawn from the path of movement of the unit to allow rotation thereof, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide such a floating frame member as an element of the left jamb assembly 54. If it is desired that the window unit, instead of being capable of swinging movement about a vertical axis, be capable of swinging movement about a horizontal axis, the floating frame member may then be incorporated in the lintel assembly 50 so that it may move toward and away from the head jamb 62. Therefore, only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by letters patent is:

1. In a window construction, an upper horizontal head jamb, a lower horizontal sill jamb, a pair of vertical side jambs, said jambs defining a rectangular window opening, a marginal sealing frame disposed within said opening and including a horizontal top frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to said upper head jamb, a horizontal bottom frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to said lower sill jamb, a first vertical side frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to one of said vertical side jambs, and a second horizontally slidable floating side frame member coextensive with and movable bodily toward and away from the other vertical side jamb between a normal inner position remote from said latter jamb and an outer position wherein it engages such jamb, a reversible rectangular window sash for closing said window opening, pivot means mounting said sash for swinging movement throughout an angle of approximately about a vertical axis between a normal closed position wherein the side edges thereof are in sealing engagement with said top, bottom and side frame members, and a substantially reversed position, a fixed vertical parting strip secured to said one vertical jamb for preventing rotation of the sash in one direction and against which one vertical side edge region of the sash bears when the latter is in its closed position, said second movable floating frame member being provided with a vertically extending flange which, when the latter member is in its normal inner position, overhangs the other vertical side edge region of the sash and thus, in effect, constitutes a movable parting strip against which the other vertical side edge region of the sash bears when the latter is in its closed position, said slidable floating frame member and its associated parting strip being completely withdrawn from the path of movement of said other vertical side edge region of the sash when said latter frame member is in its outer position, and a removable shim piece interposed between said slidable floating frame member and said other vertical side jamb for maintaining said latter frame member in its inner position.

2. A window construction as set forth in claim 1 including, additionally, a top window stop fixedly secured to said upper head jamb and substantially coextensive therewith, a pair of side window stops fixedly secured to the side jambs respectively and substantially coextensive therewith, a sill fixedly secured to the sill jamb and substantially coextensive therewith, said window stops and sill being spaced inwardly of the general plane of the window sash when the latter is in its normal closed position so as to define, in combination with the side margins of the sash, a peripheral groove which encompasses the upper, side and lower boundaries of the window opening, and a series of four elongated molding pieces arranged in quadrilateral fashion and substantially filling said peripheral groove, there being one such molding piece immediately behind each of said window stops and one such molding piece immediately behind said sill, said molding pieces bearing against the marginal regions of the sash and serving to confine the sash in its normally closed position.

3. A window construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein said molding pieces include upper and lower horizontal pieces and vertical side pieces, the opposite ends of said upper piece resting on the upper ends of said side pieces, and the lower piece being interposed between the lower ends of said side pieces and serving normally to maintain the latter pieces confined within the adjacent portions of said peripheral groove.

4. A window construction as set forth in claim 3, wherein said horizontal upper piece is provided with bevelled ends, the vertical side pieces are provided with bevelled upper ends which mate respectively with the bevelled ends of the upper piece, and the side pieces have their lower ends supported on said lower sill jamb.

5. A window construction as set forth in claim 4, wherein each side frame member is provided with a coextensive sealing strip therealong, said sealing strips being sealingly engageable with the periphery of the window sash when the latter is in its normally closed position and the movable side frame member is in its inner position.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE CERTIFICATE OF CQRRECTION Patent No 3 771 ,264

Inventor(s) William S. Sawle It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading of page 1 of the text, line 4 (identified as [763) the name of the inventor should be William S. Sawle instead of William S. Sawie.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of April 1.97M.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETGEHR,JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents QRM PC4050 (1Q'S9) uscoMM-Dc GUSTO-P69 ".5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 156B 0-355-334, 

1. In a window construction, an upper horizontal head jamb, a lower horizontal sill jamb, a pair of vertical side jambs, said jambs defining a rectangular window opening, a marginal sealing frame disposed within said opening and including a horizontal top frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to said upper head jamb, a horizontal bottom frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to said lower sill jamb, a first vertical side frame member coextensive with and fixedly secured to one of said vertical side jambs, and a second horizontally slidable floating side frame member coextensive with and movable bodily toward and away from the other vertical side jamb between a normal inner position remote from said latter jamb and an outer position wherein it engages such jamb, a reversible rectangular window sash for closing said window opening, pivot means mounting said sash for swinging movement throughout an angle of approximately 180* about a vertical axis between a normal closed position wherein the side edges thereof are in sealing engagement with said top, bottom and side frame members, and a substantially reversed position, a fixed vertical parting strip secured to said one vertical jamb for preventing rotation of the sash in one direction and against which one vertical side edge region of the sash bears when the latter is in its closed position, said second movable floating frame member being provided with a vertically extending flange which, when the latter member is in its noRmal inner position, overhangs the other vertical side edge region of the sash and thus, in effect, constitutes a movable parting strip against which the other vertical side edge region of the sash bears when the latter is in its closed position, said slidable floating frame member and its associated parting strip being completely withdrawn from the path of movement of said other vertical side edge region of the sash when said latter frame member is in its outer position, and a removable shim piece interposed between said slidable floating frame member and said other vertical side jamb for maintaining said latter frame member in its inner position.
 2. A window construction as set forth in claim 1 including, additionally, a top window stop fixedly secured to said upper head jamb and substantially coextensive therewith, a pair of side window stops fixedly secured to the side jambs respectively and substantially coextensive therewith, a sill fixedly secured to the sill jamb and substantially coextensive therewith, said window stops and sill being spaced inwardly of the general plane of the window sash when the latter is in its normal closed position so as to define, in combination with the side margins of the sash, a peripheral groove which encompasses the upper, side and lower boundaries of the window opening, and a series of four elongated molding pieces arranged in quadrilateral fashion and substantially filling said peripheral groove, there being one such molding piece immediately behind each of said window stops and one such molding piece immediately behind said sill, said molding pieces bearing against the marginal regions of the sash and serving to confine the sash in its normally closed position.
 3. A window construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein said molding pieces include upper and lower horizontal pieces and vertical side pieces, the opposite ends of said upper piece resting on the upper ends of said side pieces, and the lower piece being interposed between the lower ends of said side pieces and serving normally to maintain the latter pieces confined within the adjacent portions of said peripheral groove.
 4. A window construction as set forth in claim 3, wherein said horizontal upper piece is provided with bevelled ends, the vertical side pieces are provided with bevelled upper ends which mate respectively with the bevelled ends of the upper piece, and the side pieces have their lower ends supported on said lower sill jamb.
 5. A window construction as set forth in claim 4, wherein each side frame member is provided with a coextensive sealing strip therealong, said sealing strips being sealingly engageable with the periphery of the window sash when the latter is in its normally closed position and the movable side frame member is in its inner position. 